GelTech Prepares for Western North America Wildland Fire Season

83 - 6/14/2016

JUPITER, FL--(Marketwired - June 14, 2016) - GelTech Solutions, Inc. (GLTC), an innovator in the use of environmentally-friendly polymers for fire suppression and prevention, announced today the company is actively preparing its operations support team in the Western United States for what is anticipated to be another busy wildland fire season. In addition to supporting current customer agencies, the FireIce wildland fire division has acquired another Western state agency and a Western Canadian province to utilize FireIce this summer.

The FireIce wildland fire division will be installing permanent infrastructure designed specifically to support a variety of airtankers for several current and new customer agencies. In a larger effort across the industry, FireIce personnel are working closely with government agencies that have wildland fire protection responsibilities, supporting firefighting operations across state and international lines.

These important improvements come at a time when wildland fire season is starting earlier and lasting longer than historical averages.

"With fluctuations in climate and prolonged, higher than average temperatures, the needs of wildland fire agencies are changing. A slow season start may now mean having the resources available to handle large fires, including fixed-wing firefighting aircraft," stated Ed Kleiman GelTech's wildland fire coordinator.

"GelTech is actively pursuing new markets and customers in the western United States and Canada, while also standing by our commitment to provide the highest level of service and support in the industry to our existing customer agencies," said Matt Struzziero, GelTech's director of sales and strategic operations. "It is our job to make sure each of our customers has the right training, equipment and products to support their aviation and engine operations. We have an increasingly broad footprint of personnel and network of support centers across North America to ensure these agencies are provided with everything their firefighters, pilots and support staff need to be successful."

So far in 2016, the spring wildland fire season proved to be busy for the FireIce wildland fire division, as Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin all had average to above average spring fire activity. While reporting is still incomplete, it is confirmed that at least one agency saved multiple structures, including homes, with aerially applied FireIce HVO-F.

"As we reported to our shareholders this past January, our FireIce wildland fire division is on track for a record 2016 fire season, and we are confident our aggressive strategic plan will meet or exceed our goals," added Mike Reger, GelTech's president.

FireIce Wildland Fire Division

The GelTech Solutions FireIce Wildland Fire Division specializes in providing cutting-edge fire chemicals and equipment, as well as industry-leading training and support, to wildland fire agencies around the world. Our talented team has a combined 100 years of wildland fire and aviation experience in federal, state and Canadian government agencies, allowing us to understand the specific needs, challenges and goals of our customers in the wildland fire industry. As an agile organization, our ability to be fast moving, flexible and robust -- capable of rapid response to unexpected challenges, events, and opportunities in a wildland fire environment where the "new normal" is unprecedented.

With fire seasons starting earlier and running longer than in past decades, providing wildfire response has become far costlier and more difficult to manage. GelTech Solutions also provides fixed and mobile airtanker and helicopter bases which can be rapidly deployed with our FireIce products to accommodate additional firefighting resources in a cost effective and timely manner, with expert support available at all times.

GelTech Solutions, under the guidance of chief technology officer Peter Cordani, developed the original FireIce product as a next generation, environmentally-friendly firefighting agent in 2007. Over the last ten years, GelTech has expanded the original FireIce product to a family of products, equipment and services that are designed to help fire agencies and departments around the world fight fire in a safer, more effective, less costly and more environmentally friendly way.